Former Arsenal scout Francis Cagigao is paying tribute to Emiliano Martinez’s ‘spectacular’ progress since his £20 million move to Aston Villa with the Argentine now a World Cup winner and an elite Premier League glovesman.
Is there a more complete goalkeeper in the game?
Not necessarily the best, but the most complete? Emiliano Martinez is not only a superb shot-stopper but also an excellent distributor. He commands his area too, claims crosses better than most, and also boasts a superb track record in penalty situations, as France discovered in the final of the Qatar World Cup.
And there’s certainly no shortage of Arsenal fans who would swap David Raya or Aaron Ramsdale – both committing high profile errors of late – for a man who left the Emirates during the summer of 2020, before taking his game to a whole new level at Aston Villa.
Emiliano Martinez left Arsenal for Aston Villa
“He was an unorthodox goalkeeper,” Cagigao, who worked under Mikel Arteta, Arsene Wenger and Martinez’s current Aston Villa boss Unai Emery at Arsenal, tells El Pais.
“Big, with big hands, quick for his size and brave. I immediately thought he was perfect for the Premier League and for us (Arsenal).
“Emiliano was always the subject of a lot of discussion. Things didn’t work out with some transfers but the boy showed himself to be mentally very strong.
“Without that, he wouldn’t have got to where he is now.”
World Cup winner
Martinez was part of the Arsenal side who won the FA Cup under Arteta in 2020 – their most recent piece of silverware – but moved on a few months later after Arteta decided to keep the faith with Bernd Leno.
Their loss, then, is most certainly Aston Villa’s gain.
“He eventually got the job (of Arsenal’s number one) and won the FA Cup. When, in 2020, Mikel couldn’t guarantee a starting place, Emi made the brave decision to leave,” Cagigao adds.
“He left more than 24 million euros in the club’s coffers. Since then, his progress has been spectacular.”
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